Disclaimer: I do not own, nor am I making any money from, the X-Men movie-
verse. Duncan and Hana belong to Corrinth, as does Ilehana Xavier should
she be mentioned. Star owns Golan, should he be mentioned too. All other
OCs belong to me, especially Blaze and Jessie.
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.
Scene 04
A tear ran slowly, lazily down the ten-year-old's cheek, but even as she looked in the mirror she couldn't see it. But it wasn't because her vision had failed as threatened. The girl in the mirror didn't look like Jessie, didn't have any distinguishable features at all. It seemed as though all the light in the bright room was being sucked into her, making her skin throb with the energy of it, covering her in darkness so absolute it was like she had been drenched in black ink. It was a painful experience, the power of it made her head pound and her stomach lurch.
Scruffy the terrier whimpered apathetically from by the bottom of the bed, distressed by the changes in his mistress, by the fear in the room. Lila and Mark sat on the bed, arms round each other in support, confusion and terror and dismay all criss-crossed across their faces. None of them knew what to say, what to do. And Jessie showed no signs of turning back to normal, as the sun dropped lower in the Californian sky she seemed only to grow darker and more vague.
The knock at the door surprised them all. For a moment or so the family ignored it, but then the triple beat was repeated and with a wordless sigh Mark rose to answer it. Lila stood to follow him as a strange male voice echoed up the stairwell, but hesitated as she moved to pass her daughter. Slowly she put out a hand, daring herself to touch the mutant's skin. She watched, detached, as her shaking hand brushed her daughter's blacker-than- night hair. She felt the rush of pain up her arm before she could register that the sensation was coming from her own daughter. Lila cried out and pulled back, hand in a painful spasm as she ashamedly fled the room. Jessie sobbed harder.
Through the open bedroom door she could hear raised voices, her parents fighting, spitting the words "Mutant" and "Freak" at each other like venom. The third voice, the stranger's, was the voice of reason using words like "School" and "Help". Sniffing suddenly Jessie found a reserve of strength she had not known she'd had and sneaked out onto the landing, moving from shadow to shadow to get a look at what was going on downstairs.
Gambit heard the telltale creaking from upstairs, thief's instincts telling him that the child was listening in, maybe even watching them. Her parents were terrified, a horrific reaction he had witnessed too many times as doting parents realised their precious children were more than they seemed. They didn't mean to fight, to insult their daughter, but despite years of hard work by the X-Men and others like them society still did not prepare parents for the possibilities of their own children being mutants. It was still one of those 'it'll never happen to me' scenarios that all too often did happen. And all too often it led to times like now, where the only support the child would get would be if she left her home and moved right across America to the Xavier School, leaving everything she knew and loved behind her.
"How can you say, Mr le Beau, that you understand what we are going through?" Mark Price was dubious, even furious. All his pent up frustration at not being able to help his daughter he unleashed now at the stranger who offered to take his daughter away. "Do you have kids? Are they mutants?"
"No, I ain't got no kids." Gambit found himself snarling back, "But this ain't as uncommon as you'd t'ink. The Xavier School full of children jus' like Jessie, whose parents know it the best place for 'em at least 'til they knows how to control their powers."
On the landing above, lying on her belly to look through the railings and the open door to the living room, Jessie found herself shaking silently. So this was it, she hadn't meant to hurt her Mom, but was that any reason to send her away with some strange man who just turned up on the doorstep? She watched the man warily; he was tall and muscular with a mop of scruffy brown hair, wearing dark sunglasses even though he was inside. Jessie reckoned him slightly younger than her parents, maybe mid-thirties, and his easy manner especially when talking about mutants was starting to put her parents at ease.
The stranger continued to wave his hands about, telling her parents about how wonderful the Xavier School was, how committed the staff were, even how much they generally asked parents to pay out for what was essentially a top- class private boarding school in New York. New York? Jess had never in her life been out of California, New York was like the other side of the world! But her parents were quiet now, listening to the tall man. Jessie knew they were going to go for this.
She couldn't be shipped off like this. She wouldn't allow it. Jessie ran back to her room, barred the door with her bed and began throwing assorted belongings into her school bag. Scruffy followed her every step like a lost soul, as if he could tell what she was about to do. The window creaked open, old paint peeling against the wood, and she climbed onto the sill as the sounds of footsteps started up the stairs. Her feet dangled over the ledge, bag on her shoulder and suddenly she realised there was no way she could drop that far to the ground. Panic pulsed through her and the glass rattled in its frame as energy ran uncontrolled out of her.
There was a knock at the door, the gentle tapping of her mother's fist. Jessie twisted on the sill to lower herself as far as she could before letting go. Scruffy barked his panic as his mistress disappeared suddenly. Jessie fell quickly, closing her eyes tightly as the wind rushed past her and expecting the ground to shatter her bones when she hit it. But she didn't, finding herself caught in a man's strong grip, her eyes still tightly closed she felt another wave of energy smash out from her, heard the man gasp and almost let go.
Years of recruiting frightened children to the school had taught Remy to always keep one ear on what the kid themselves was doing while he spoke to the parents. He knew as Lila was going upstairs to bring Jessie down that Jessie had other plans. With the excuse of getting some forms from his motorbike, he ran outside just in time to catch the girl before she hit the ground and broke some bones. The mutant energy she released shocked him, cramping his muscles and burning his skin, but he didn't let go of the child. After a second her unpractised attack subsided, and he put her feet on the ground.
"How did you do that?" The girl asked, looking up at her unlikely rescuer. Gambit found it odd that he couldn't meet her eyes, she was like a walking silhouette, but he did his best and spoke evenly to her as though he did this everyday. Mutant kids did not do well if they thought adults were afraid of them or would treat them as different to everyone else.
"Do what? Catch you Petite?"
"No, I mean, that too but..."
"Withstand your powers?" Gambit smiled, eyes dancing behind his shades. "There a teacher at the school who controls weather. You train wit Storm, you get struck by lightnin', nothin' else ever as painful."
"You are all mutants? The pupils, the teachers, everyone at this school?" Jessie couldn't help herself from feeling just a faint speck of hope. Could these mutants accept her even though she looked so freaky?
"Yeah, pretty much. You wanna come give us a try, Petite, see what you t'ink?"
"I...I don't know." Jessie looked over her shoulder at her parents, stood with their arms around each other on the front step.
"Its your choice, Jessie. You're old enough to decide yourself." Mark said softly, noting that besides him his wife nodded to back him up.
"I think..." Jessie frowned, not that anyone could see her do it. "I think I should go. I think I need to know more about other mutants, find somewhere I can belong..."
A/N: Post X2 spoilers, and spoilers for Corrinth's Guardians of Destiny, which incidentally is excellent so go read it! Reviews always appreciated.
Scene 04
A tear ran slowly, lazily down the ten-year-old's cheek, but even as she looked in the mirror she couldn't see it. But it wasn't because her vision had failed as threatened. The girl in the mirror didn't look like Jessie, didn't have any distinguishable features at all. It seemed as though all the light in the bright room was being sucked into her, making her skin throb with the energy of it, covering her in darkness so absolute it was like she had been drenched in black ink. It was a painful experience, the power of it made her head pound and her stomach lurch.
Scruffy the terrier whimpered apathetically from by the bottom of the bed, distressed by the changes in his mistress, by the fear in the room. Lila and Mark sat on the bed, arms round each other in support, confusion and terror and dismay all criss-crossed across their faces. None of them knew what to say, what to do. And Jessie showed no signs of turning back to normal, as the sun dropped lower in the Californian sky she seemed only to grow darker and more vague.
The knock at the door surprised them all. For a moment or so the family ignored it, but then the triple beat was repeated and with a wordless sigh Mark rose to answer it. Lila stood to follow him as a strange male voice echoed up the stairwell, but hesitated as she moved to pass her daughter. Slowly she put out a hand, daring herself to touch the mutant's skin. She watched, detached, as her shaking hand brushed her daughter's blacker-than- night hair. She felt the rush of pain up her arm before she could register that the sensation was coming from her own daughter. Lila cried out and pulled back, hand in a painful spasm as she ashamedly fled the room. Jessie sobbed harder.
Through the open bedroom door she could hear raised voices, her parents fighting, spitting the words "Mutant" and "Freak" at each other like venom. The third voice, the stranger's, was the voice of reason using words like "School" and "Help". Sniffing suddenly Jessie found a reserve of strength she had not known she'd had and sneaked out onto the landing, moving from shadow to shadow to get a look at what was going on downstairs.
Gambit heard the telltale creaking from upstairs, thief's instincts telling him that the child was listening in, maybe even watching them. Her parents were terrified, a horrific reaction he had witnessed too many times as doting parents realised their precious children were more than they seemed. They didn't mean to fight, to insult their daughter, but despite years of hard work by the X-Men and others like them society still did not prepare parents for the possibilities of their own children being mutants. It was still one of those 'it'll never happen to me' scenarios that all too often did happen. And all too often it led to times like now, where the only support the child would get would be if she left her home and moved right across America to the Xavier School, leaving everything she knew and loved behind her.
"How can you say, Mr le Beau, that you understand what we are going through?" Mark Price was dubious, even furious. All his pent up frustration at not being able to help his daughter he unleashed now at the stranger who offered to take his daughter away. "Do you have kids? Are they mutants?"
"No, I ain't got no kids." Gambit found himself snarling back, "But this ain't as uncommon as you'd t'ink. The Xavier School full of children jus' like Jessie, whose parents know it the best place for 'em at least 'til they knows how to control their powers."
On the landing above, lying on her belly to look through the railings and the open door to the living room, Jessie found herself shaking silently. So this was it, she hadn't meant to hurt her Mom, but was that any reason to send her away with some strange man who just turned up on the doorstep? She watched the man warily; he was tall and muscular with a mop of scruffy brown hair, wearing dark sunglasses even though he was inside. Jessie reckoned him slightly younger than her parents, maybe mid-thirties, and his easy manner especially when talking about mutants was starting to put her parents at ease.
The stranger continued to wave his hands about, telling her parents about how wonderful the Xavier School was, how committed the staff were, even how much they generally asked parents to pay out for what was essentially a top- class private boarding school in New York. New York? Jess had never in her life been out of California, New York was like the other side of the world! But her parents were quiet now, listening to the tall man. Jessie knew they were going to go for this.
She couldn't be shipped off like this. She wouldn't allow it. Jessie ran back to her room, barred the door with her bed and began throwing assorted belongings into her school bag. Scruffy followed her every step like a lost soul, as if he could tell what she was about to do. The window creaked open, old paint peeling against the wood, and she climbed onto the sill as the sounds of footsteps started up the stairs. Her feet dangled over the ledge, bag on her shoulder and suddenly she realised there was no way she could drop that far to the ground. Panic pulsed through her and the glass rattled in its frame as energy ran uncontrolled out of her.
There was a knock at the door, the gentle tapping of her mother's fist. Jessie twisted on the sill to lower herself as far as she could before letting go. Scruffy barked his panic as his mistress disappeared suddenly. Jessie fell quickly, closing her eyes tightly as the wind rushed past her and expecting the ground to shatter her bones when she hit it. But she didn't, finding herself caught in a man's strong grip, her eyes still tightly closed she felt another wave of energy smash out from her, heard the man gasp and almost let go.
Years of recruiting frightened children to the school had taught Remy to always keep one ear on what the kid themselves was doing while he spoke to the parents. He knew as Lila was going upstairs to bring Jessie down that Jessie had other plans. With the excuse of getting some forms from his motorbike, he ran outside just in time to catch the girl before she hit the ground and broke some bones. The mutant energy she released shocked him, cramping his muscles and burning his skin, but he didn't let go of the child. After a second her unpractised attack subsided, and he put her feet on the ground.
"How did you do that?" The girl asked, looking up at her unlikely rescuer. Gambit found it odd that he couldn't meet her eyes, she was like a walking silhouette, but he did his best and spoke evenly to her as though he did this everyday. Mutant kids did not do well if they thought adults were afraid of them or would treat them as different to everyone else.
"Do what? Catch you Petite?"
"No, I mean, that too but..."
"Withstand your powers?" Gambit smiled, eyes dancing behind his shades. "There a teacher at the school who controls weather. You train wit Storm, you get struck by lightnin', nothin' else ever as painful."
"You are all mutants? The pupils, the teachers, everyone at this school?" Jessie couldn't help herself from feeling just a faint speck of hope. Could these mutants accept her even though she looked so freaky?
"Yeah, pretty much. You wanna come give us a try, Petite, see what you t'ink?"
"I...I don't know." Jessie looked over her shoulder at her parents, stood with their arms around each other on the front step.
"Its your choice, Jessie. You're old enough to decide yourself." Mark said softly, noting that besides him his wife nodded to back him up.
"I think..." Jessie frowned, not that anyone could see her do it. "I think I should go. I think I need to know more about other mutants, find somewhere I can belong..."